Yorkshire commuters reveal their pet peeves

Gemma Jimmison

Yorkshire commuters have revealed their top five pet peeves about their fellow public transport passengers.

It seems travellers who make a quick call on the train are the most hated, with more than a third of people putting telephone conversations top of the list of passenger dislikes, according to a poll by bitesize reading app Joosr.

This was despite the face that 26 per cent of those questioned admitting that they themselves regularly use their commute to make phone calls.

The combination of packed carriages and warmer weather ensures that, as travellers are often in close proximity to one another, body odour is another commuter no-no, with nearly four in 10 (37 per cent) finding it a problem.

A lack of internet and phone signal annoyed 34 per cent of Yorkshire’s commuters while nearly a third disliked others taking up too much space.

And while 26 per cent of passengers viewed the commute as an opportunity to squeeze in breakfast or a snack, more than one in five (22 per cent) of respondents criticised these ‘cereal offenders’.

Darren Boyd-Annells, founder and CEO of Joosr, said: “This survey highlights how the smallest thing can be irritating on the commute. More than 11 million people in the UK commute to work each day so it’s not surprising that their fellow passengers get on their nerves – but who knew eating could be so offensive?

“I spent years commuting myself, and found it was easy to fall into the trap of resenting my time on the train, rather than using the time beneficially. Rather than let myself get drawn into what was happening around me I decided to turn my downtime into learning time, which is where the idea for Joosr came from.”

Commuters can sign up for a free trial of Joosr – a new service that provides non-fiction book summaries that can be read in just 20 minutes.

The subscription-based app offers bitesize reads of the world’s most influential business and personal development books.

The trial is available on iOS tablets and smartphones. Visit www.joosr.com for more information.